Are the Effects of Drugs on the Brain Being Effectively Communicated with Youth?
By Alison Kudrle
Credit: BlueCrest
In 2017, over 5,000 individuals ages 15-24 died of drug overdose (National Institutes of Health). Teen youth and young adults are the primary audiences that are at risk for drug misuse. Our brains are still developing at this stage of life and making sure that this age group is informed about the dangers of drugs is crucial to their health and development. Are youth being informed effectively about the long-term and short-term effects that drugs have on the brain?
By looking into the reasoning why youth may not be educated on this topic, as well as exploring opportunities to utilize cognitive neuroscience, we can bring better education to this population. If people knew the dangers and risks of drugs at this age, would the statistics of deaths in drug overdose decrease?
It is important to educate about drugs because drug use and experimentation are at its highest during the younger stages of life. The dangers of being misinformed can lead to dangerous lifestyle choices. If your friends tell you that mixing drugs isn’t bad for you, and you see them mixing drugs with no obvious consequences, you’re more likely to come to the conclusion that mixing drugs is “okay.” In actuality, in many instances drug overdoses occur as a result of mixing substances (Casa Palmera). This is just one of the many misconceptions that people have about drug use.
How can we debunk these misconceptions and make sure that our children are informed enough to make good decisions? Education! The main source of drug education in the United States is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or D.A.R.E. Since D.A.R.E. was introduced in classrooms in 1983 (Live Science), a majority of the younger generations can remember this being implemented in their schools, myself included. Unfortunately, many studies have shown that D.A.R.E. is completely ineffective in preventing drug use (Live Science).
What type of drug education will influence youth to take caution when they are exposed to drugs? This is where the field of cognitive neuroscience comes into play. Instead of teaching children how to “say no” to drugs, as D.A.R.E. does, we can teach them the facts about the short-term and long-term effects that drugs have on the brain. By learning about drug education using cognitive neuroscience, teenagers may become more interested in science and how different substances alter our brain. Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug among young adults and youth, most of which are unaware of the effects that it has on the brain. Brain areas that are impacted by marijuana include memory, motor skills, and problem-solving skills (Watkins, 2019). By teaching drug education in this way, this age group will at least be more informed about the effects that the drugs have on their bodies.
Personally, I didn’t learn about the effects that drugs have on the brain until I took psychology classes in college, at age 20. This information is valuable to youth to understand how their brains can change in structure and the long-term effects that may occur as a result. New drug education programs need to be implemented in high schools and using these new strategies involving neuroscience education may be the new direction that our society needs.
References
(2019). Drug overdoses in youth. National Institutes of Health: National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens.
The effects of drugs on the human brain [Image 1]. Retrieved on March 19, 2019.
(2012). Top 10 most popular drug myths. Casa Palmera.
(2012). Was D.A.R.E. Effective? Live Science.
Watkins, M. (2019). How drugs affect the brain and central nervous system. American Addiction Centers.